Automobile-buffer.



G. A. LYON.

AUTOMOBILE BUFFER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 22. 1911.

1,825,728. Patented Dec. 23,1919..

a wwwtoz drones ALBERT remit,- orrmmnnnrmn, PnNn'sYLvAN-m.

nuromomrn-nurrm I Specincation of Letters latent. v Patentedpec. 23, 1919a Appltcation filed May 22, 1917. Serial No. 170,129.

To all 'w'komitmay concern: Be it known that LGE RGE ALBERT LYON, a-citizen of the United States, and resident of Philadelphia, Philadelphia county, Pennsylvania,'have made. a certain new and useful Invention Relating to Automobile-l?uffers, of which the following is a speclfication, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, which forms part of the semen- This invention relates especially to resili cut or spring strip buffers for use on automobiles or other similar vehicles in which the transverse width of the buffer is adjustable and its rearwardlyextending attaching members are also independently; adjustably 7 connected tothe front or impact receiving members of the buffer so asjto simultaneously adjust thebufi'er for attachment to vehicles having frame members of different width. It is also desirable in this connection' to have. the i 'mpact receiving members forwar'dly; bowedand formed of uniformly. curved contour and in this .way the lapping contacts where one bufier memberfis connected toanother may be concentrically curved which facilitates adjustment of the parts.

Inthe accompanying drawing showing m a somewhat diagrammatic way illustrative embodiments 'of the invention--.

Figure 1 ma top vlew showmgone embodiment; and L Fig. 2 is a similar view showing another form-of the device.

The impact receiving member or front.

' member of the bufier may be made of adj ust able width by forming it of overlapping members which areadjustably connected to- ,in,'a -horizontal-idirection as explained in gether in any suitable way so'that-by adjustmg the extent to which these membersfoverlap at the centralv portion of the buffer the total width of the impact receiving member able to form these impact receiving membe'rs ofnresilient spring steel strips having many times as great vertical as horizontal rigidity which can be conveniently; done by giving the strips of spring steel sir; or--eight .times as.v great a verticalwidtlf'as their thickness I greater detaillin the Lyon Patent 1,198,246,

of September 12, 1916. As indicatedin Fig.

' 1 the impact receiving members 4, 10 may be adjustably connected by the clips12, 13,

such as" described BIIdySllOWll' in: detail in said patent, andiin this way by having'one of thesejclips adjacent, one end 3 of the'forward impact receiving member l, for in- .stance, its other end 5 may extend out a con resilient yielding actionunder collision conditions and. by making thesemembers uniformly curved at least throughout their overlapping portions adjustment and con nection of thesetwo members may be corre spondinglyfacilitated. The bufi'ermay also comprise rearwardly extending attaching memberspreferably formed of similar vertically rigid and horizontally yielding spring strips'and these attaching members maybe formed with a rearward portion adapted to be rigidly secured to the frame of the automobile or other vehicle while their .forwardly an'doutwardly curvedportions 6, 7 are preferably formed with ends having substantially the'sa-me curvature as the ad acent parts ofthe impact receiving or front members so that they may be more readily secured thereto in adjusted position by suitable clips 11, 14. By making these connections adjustable'the distance apart of the attaching members 1, 2, may be correspondingly varied to adapt the buffer for at tachment to Vehicleshavin supporting members at di erent distances apart.

, Fig. .2 shows another arrangement in which the impact receiving members overframe or other lap so as to reinforce each other throughout the distance between the points at which the attaching members are secured, this making can be correspondinglyvaried. It is desin ga stronger and stiffer form of bufier although correspondingly limiting the ex ent to \Vllltlljhe width of the impact receiving members can be adjusted. These impact receiving members 17, 18, are as indicated preferably forwardly bowed and iven a substantially uniform curvature an in this ion ject outward from one side of the buffer as a single thickness end member while the other end of this forward imgact re ceiving member may be adjusta ly ar ranged with respect to the projecting end 21 of the rear impact receivingmember 17 whose other-end 22 may be. arranged adjacent the connecting clip 25. If desired, this connecting clip may not only connect the two impact'receiving members, but also secure thereto the forwardly and outwardly curved end 23 of the rearwardly extending attaching member 15. The other clip 26 which ma if desired be of the same general .type as s own in said patent may connect 'the other ends of the impact receiving members and secure thereto in a vertically rigidmanner the forward end 24 of the attaching member 16. In this way the clips may be movedtogether somewhat when it is desired to adjust the width of the attaching members, this adjustment being of; course independent of the adjusted width of the buffer secured bymore or less var ing the extent of overlap of the front mem ers thereof.

This invention has been describedin connection with a number of illustrative embodiments, forms, proportions, parts, arrangements, materials, method of connection and use, to the details of which disclosure the invention is not of course to be limited, since what is. claimed as new and .what is desired to be secured by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

1. The automobile buffer comprising two overlapping forwardly bowed impact receiving members of uniform curvature and formed of integral spring steei strips having many times greater vertical width than thickness to render themrelatively rigid vertically while resiliently yielding in horizonsubstantially the same curvature as the adacent parts of the impact receiving memers and connecting clips ad ustably securing the forward ends of said attachmg members adjacent the ends ofsaid impact receiving members to adjust the distancebetween them so that'said attaching members canfit vehicle frames of'diiferent widthsi 4 2. The automobile 'bufi'er comprising two overlapping forwardly bowed impact receiving members formed of'integral spring steel strips having many times. greater ver-'.

tical width than thickness-to render them relatively rigid verticallywh'ile resiliently .widths.

.- yieldin in horizontal directions connecting clips a ustably connecting sai impact re ceivingmembers to form an ad ustable widthbuifer front member having a rein; forced central portion and outwardly 'ex- 7( tending projecting ends of reduced. thickness, vertically rigid horizontally yielding attaching members adapted to be rigidly connected to a vehiclevframe and formed with forwardly and outwardly curved ortions having ends formed with substantially the same-curvature as the adjacent parts of the impact receiving members and connecting devices adjustably securing the forward ends of said attachingmembers adjacent the 30 ends of said impact receiving member-Soto adjust the distance between them. so that said attaching member can fit vehicle frames of difllerent widths, r

3.- The automobile buffer comprising two- 35 overlapping impact receiving members having-many times greater vertical. Widththan thickness to render them relatively rigid verticallywhile resiliently yielding in horizontal directions 'connectmg devices adjustably' .90 connecting said impact receiving menrbersto form an adjustable width bufi'er front member having a reinforced central portionand outwardly extending projecting ends-.of'reducedthickness, vertically rigid 'horizon- 96 tally yielding attaching members adapted. to be rigidly connected to a. vehicle frame 7 and formed with forwardly and outwardl curved portions and connecting devices justably securing the forward. ends of said 10 attaching membersad'acent the ends of said impact receiving mem ers to adjust the distance between them so that said attaching members can fit vehicle frames of different widths. j I 10 4:. The automobile buffer domprisingoven lapping forwardly bowed impact'receiving -members of .unif'orni curvature having greater vertical .width than thickness to renf derlthem relatively rigid vertically while 41 resiliently yielding inhorizontal directions,.;' vertically rigid attaching members adapted to be rigidly connected to a vehicle frame and-formed with outwardly curved forward" connectingportions having ends' formed 11 with substantially the same curvature as the adjacent parts of the impact receiv' meme. a I bers and connecting clips adjustab y con nectingsaid impact receiving members'to adjust the width ofthe buffer and adjustabl 12 securing the forward ends of-said attaching members adjacent the ends of said impact receiving members so that said attaching members can fit' vehicle frames of different '12 5. The automobile bufi'er comprising overlapping forwardly 'bowed impact receiving members havinggreater vertical width than thickness to render them relatively rigid ventically while resiliently yielding horiz'on 1s tal directions, vertically rigid attachng members adapted to be rigidly connected toavehicle frame and formed'with forward conmeeting portions having ends formed with substantially the same curvature as the adjacent parts of the impact receiving members and connecting devices adJiistably con necting said impactreceiving members to adjust the width of the buffer and adjustably securingthe' forward ends of-said attac iing members adjacent the ends of said impact receiving members so that said at taching members can fit vehicle frames of difi'erent widths; I

6.-The automobile bufi'r comprising overlapping-impact receiving members having greater vertical width than thickness to rendr them relatively rigid vertically while resiliently yielding in horizontal directions, vertically rigid attaching members adapted to be rigidly-connected to a vehicle'frame and formed with forward connecting portions and connecting devices adjustably connecting said impact receiving members to adjust the width of the buffer and adjustably securing the forward 'ends of said at taching"members adjacent the ends of said impact receiving members so that said at-v taching members can fit .vehicleframes of different widths.

7. Theautomobile buffer comprising two overlapping forwardly bowed impact receiving members of uniform curvaturehavmg greater vertical width than thickness torender them relatively rigid vertically while resiliently yielding in horizontal directions,

vertically ri id horizontally yielding attaching mem ers adapted to be rigidly connected to a vehicle frame and formed with outwardly curved forward connecting portions having ends formed with substantially the same curvature as the impact receiving members and connecting vdevices adjustably securing the forward ends-of said attaching members to the ends of the doubled reinforced portion of said "impact receiving men'ibcrs and enable sai l-attaching members to fit vehicleframes of difiercnt widths.

' 8. The automobile buffer comprising two overlapping impact receiving members having greater vertical width than thickness to render them relatively rigid vertically while resiliently yzelding in horizontal directions,

vertically rigid horizontally yielding. at-

asaspzs p 4. 3

taching members adapted; to be rigidly con- 65 nected to a vehicle frame and formed with outwardly curved forward connecting portions and connecting devices adjustably securing the forward ends of said attaching members to the ends of the doubled rein forced portion of said impact receiving members and enable said attaching members to fit vehicle frames of different widths.

- 9. The automobile bufi'er comprising a forwardly'bowed impact'receiving member, of uniform, curvature and formed of integral spring steel strips having greater vertical width than'thicknessfto render the same relatively rigid vertically while resili- 'ently yielding in horizontal directions, said strips being arranged toform a reinforced central portion and -outwardly extendin projecting ends of reduced thickness, vert1-' cally rigid horizontally yielding attaching ihembers adaptedto be rigidly connected to 76 a vehicle frame and formed with outwardly curved forward connecting portions having ends formed -with substantially the same curvature as the impact receiving member and connecting devices adjustably connect 80 mg the forward ends of said attaching members adjacent the ends of said impact receiving member so that said attaching members canfit vehicle frames of different widths; p 1 4 'i 10. The automobile buffer comprisin a forwardly bowed impact'receiving mem er of uniform curvature and formed of spring steel strip having greater vertical width "than thickness to render the same relatively rigid vertically while resiliently yielding in horizontal directions, vertically rigid horizontally yielding attaching members adapted to be rigidly connected to a vehicle frame and formed-with outwardly curved'95 forward connecting ortions having ends formed with substantially the same curvature as the impact receiving member and connecting devices adjustably connecting the forward ends of said attaching members to the ends of said impact receiving memher so that said attaching members can fit vehicle frames of different widths. 4

GEORGE ALBnnr-LroN. Witnessest HARRY C.- DUNCAN, JESSIE KAY. 

